The Electoral College is a peculiar American institution. Some people don't even know it exists, yet its strange rules determine who becomes President of the United States.

The Election of 2000 provided a glimpse into this peculiarity. Al Gore and George Bush were in a dead heat. Gore won the popular margin by a slim margin - about 500,000 votes out of over 100,000,000. However, Gore eventually lost the pivotal state of Florida. With its Electoral Votes cast in favor of George Bush, he won the election - 271 to 266.

In the wake of this strange occurrence, some people have suggested reforming the Electoral College. Others have suggested that the United States scrap it altogether.

Today, you'll use the election results of 2000 to test out a possible reform to the electoral college. You will recalculate the election according to a new set of rules and decide whether or not this system is more or less fair than the current system.

In the end, your task is to decide what to do with the Electoral College - and write a letter to your Congressman making an argument for or against it.